Rent a bike - Let's Rock'n Roll!

Next, it is time for us to rent a bike. Don't think it is easy. If you don't bargain with the shopkeepers, you may get an expensive one. This is how we did it:


1. Find a reliable rental shop
    (Of course we will show you which is the reliable one).

2. Ask the price and BARGAIN!

    (Normally price: weekdays $ 30, satuardays
     and public holiday $ 40)

3. Ask the shopkeeper to give you a good bike!
    (It is very important-to ensure it is comfortable, pay attention to the size and height of bicycle )

4. Try on the bike.
    (You may ask the shopkeeper to adjust the height of the seat if it does not suit you)

5. Show your ID card and register.
    (This is just normal procedure to make sure they know who rent the bike)

6. Confirm the return time and location.
    (Make sure you return it at the right place and on time!) 
7. Pay money.
    (Confirm the price once more before you pay)

8. Borrow a basket if you need.

    (Attention: baskets are free of charge)

9. Let's GO!!

                        

Recommended Restaurants

Chan Hon Kee (陳漢記)

Address: 91B, Wan Tau Street, Tai Po Market

Telephone: 2658 2777

Open hour: everyday 11am- 4am

Price range: $41-$100

Payment: Cash only

Signature dishes: Chinese Congee, Rice Roll, Clay-pot Rice

Features:

This local restaurant has been popular by its clay-pot rice and steamed rice roll. Both of them are made when you order it, so the dishes are freshly hot-served and delicious. Especially the paper-thin rice roll stuffing different ingredients such as barbecued pork and pork liver, these sell over hundreds dishes everyday. The perfectly-matched of rice roll with Chinese fluty dough （炸兩） is also highly recommended .

Reminder: simple English menu is provided.

Tai Po Market Complex Cooked Food Center (大埔墟市政大廈熟食中心)

Address: 8, Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po Market

Open hour: everyday 9am- 11pm

Price range: $30-$100

Payment: Cash only

Features:

Local cooked food centre consists of about twenty food stalls. Each of Dai Pai Dong style restaurant respectively provide their typical but characteristic Chinese dishes including noodle soup, congee, fried rice, fried noodle with Chinese-Hong Kong style, rice plate as well as milk tea and cold iced lemon tea. Food is comparatively cheap and environment may be very crowded, however, there is a good place for understanding local food culture. Sister Sam Seafood Restaurant（三小姐海鮮小菜）, Sai Kee Shanghai Noodle and Leung Kee Congee are the recommended food stalls.

*No English menu

Shalimar Indian Restaurant (沙士亞印度餐廳)

Address: G/F, 127 Kwong Fuk Road, Tai Po

Telephone: 2653 7790

Open hour: everyday 11am-11pm

Price range: $41-$150

Payment: Cash and credit card

Signature dishes: Chicken Masala, Curry Mutton, Naan, Tandoori Chicken and Lassi

Feature:

Based Tai Po over 20 years, this locally authentic Indian cuisine restaurant is popular by its curry and Tandoori. Opened and managed by Indian chef, Shalimar provides the excellent and warm customer service without charges. A must-try item is Chicken Masala, this is chicken thigh, which meant very tender meat and sauce itself is also spicy yet excellent.

Tai Po Man Mo Temple and Tai Po Market

Tai Po Man Mo Temple

History of Tai Po Man Mo Temple

Man Mo Temple is a temple for the worship of the civil or literature god Man Tai (文帝) and the martial god Mo Tai (武帝). The two gods were popularly patronized by scholars and students seeking progress in their study or ranking in the civil examinations in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Tai Po Man Mo Temple located in Fu Shin Street, was built in 1893 by a group of seven village communities of Tai Po – called Tsat Yeuk. This traditional Chinese architecture erected in commemoration of the new market - Tai Wo Shi - founding (now commonly known as Tai Po Market). The establishment of the market – and subsequent building of Kwong Fuk Bridge linking both sides of the Lam Tsuen river – was the reason for the decline in influence of the Tangs.

In the past, the temple was an administrative office of  Tsat Yeuk and there was the court of arbitration to maintain the fair business. Simple accommodations were provided for worshipers and merchant s. In 1954, the temple completely became a place for religious purpose.   Nowadays, Tai Po Man Mo Temple maintains its typical New Territories architecture with blue-brick and granite entrance and two old steles are kept. This is the earlier historical resource for studying about the history of Tai Po. In 1984, the temple has been listed as a declared monument of Hong Kong which is the first protected heritage building in the New Territories. Full restoration of the temple was undertaken by the Tai Po Tsat Yeuk Rural Committee in 1985 with technical advice and a subsidy from the Government. Today, there is still one of the more famous temples in the New Territories. 

What can you do there?

The front courtyard, planted with palms, provides shade for those taking a rest on the benches. Inside the temple, there is usually a crowd in the midst of lively conversation. It is a good way to approach and understand the local traditional culture. Of course, you may burn some joss sticks under large incense coils and make a wish to Man Mo hoping he will give you all success. Don't forget to give some tips to support the maintenance of this heritage!

Tai Po Market

From the Hang Dynasty in AD 963, the indigenous inhabitants of Tai Po lived by clamming and making pearls. The pearl making business reached its peak in the Song Dynasty and started to decline gradually in the midst of the Ming Dynasty. Tai Po had been developed as a fishing port around the late Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty.

The 11^th year of Kangxi Reign(1693), the dominant Tang’s clan applied for land to the Chinese Government to build the market. Because of the good location of the market where laid between the Kowloon, Shenzhen and fishing port, it became a transportation hub connecting China and nearby islands so it developed very fast. According to the history, the powerful tang’s clan who dominated the Tai Po market based on the northern shore of Lam Tsuen River banned other people to open a market in their area. The marketers, in order to continue their business, needed to find a new place to establish the market. Another rising power, Man’s clan allied with other seven non-Tang villages to form Tai Po Tsat Yeuk to combat with against Tang. Thus, in 1893, the Tai Wo New Market was established in Fu Shin Street, opposite to Tai Po Market.

The establishment of the market – and subsequent building of Kwong Fuk Bridge linking both sides of the Lam Tsuen River contributed to Tai Po’s land transport so much. After that, Tai Po Tsat Yeuk dominated the transportation going to Tai Po and made Tai Wo Market overwhelm Tai Po Market. Finally, Tai Wo Market is renamed as Tai Po Market, and originally one renamed as Tai Po Old market.

Today, Tai Po Market refers to an open area with Man Mo Temple and Fu Shin Street

at its centre. Fu Shin Street, 150 meters long, was the biggest market in the New Territories and now is one of the traditional markets in Hong Kong. Nowadays, Fu Shin Street is not as important as before although there are many shops selling the daily stuff and fresh products. It is worth visiting as there is still significantly reflecting the daily life of local people and Tai Po history.

What can you do there?

This is an interesting experience to wander in the street. The hawkers bawl their fresh marine products and vegetable. The street is just outside the Man Mo Temple.

The Hong Kong Railway Museum

Background of the museum

The Hong Kong Railway Museum is situated in the town center of Tai Po Market. The Hong Kong Railway Museum is an open-air museum occupying some 6,500 square meters. This is the only museum in the territory dedicated to the development of Hong Kong’s Railway systems.

History of the museum

In the past, the museum was a Tai Po Market Railway station which is a station between line from Kowloon Station to the border with China.  The station was erected in 1913; the station building features the pitched roof of traditional Chinese building. When the Kowloon Canton Railway Company was modernised, the original railway station became redundant. It was declared a monument in 1984, refurbished and converted into a museum in 1985. The museum follows the early creation and development of the line from Kowloon Station to the border with China.

Inside of the museum

The inside of the museum separate into two parts which are exhibition gallery and permanent display. The exhibition gallery shows the latest happenings of the railway development in Hong Kong. Also, it shows the railway logos from different periods and profiles of future MTR extensions

For the permanent display, it shows the types of trains used and contains several complete carriages that were last in use during the 60/70′s as well as one of the engines used in the past.

Actually, the station building, which houses a historical display of photographs over the past 100 years, is quite beautiful. It has a date above the door stating its year of completion – 1913 – and has been finished off in a Chinese style complete with roof ceramics and wall frescos. It was the only station on the line to be built in this way and we expect this is why it was declared a monument.

What can you do there?

In the exhibition gallery, people can see many historic pictures of the railway in past. Also, there is an education corner inside which has some interactive display to boarden the knowledge of visitors and enhances visitor's experience of the museum. In the permanent display, visitor can explore the history of the local railway transportation. They can go inside to the coaches and experience the railway environment in the past. Besides, you can walk along the tracks which you cannot do usually!

Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree

We meet at Tai Wo station at 9:20. First, we will go to the bus stop to take the bus. You can take the bus or mini bus from Tai Wo station. The bus number is 64K or 65K and mini bus is 25K. You will see many people wish under the tree.

Lam Tsuen Wishing tree

Do you know what the wising tree is? The wishing tree is Hong Kong’s one of the most famous tourist attractions. It is usually crowded during Chinese New Year holidays.

Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree was built during the era of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). The tree has thousands of wishes written on bright red paper.

There are, in fact, two Wishing Trees. However, the bigger tree nearer to the road is more famous. Also called the Spirit Tree, the one near the road was originally used to make wishes related to our personal life, like career, academics, health and wealth.

The smaller one, nearer to the temple, was used for wishes related to marriage and children. However,

over the years, the rule has changed and people now

simply go to, Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree that is the bigger tree for all their wishes.

How to wish?

There are a few ways to make a wish.

One of them is needed to first buy a "bao die." A "bao die" will have a large yellow paper on which you would need to write your wish. The paper is then rolled and tied to an orange. It is then tossed up the tree with hopes of it clinging on to its branches. If it doesn't hang in three tries, it is said that the wish made is too greedy.

The other way, they burnt joss sticks wrote their wishes on joss paper tied to an orange then threw them up to hang in these trees. It was believed that if the paper successfully hung onto one of the tree branches, their wishes will come true.

The conservation of the tree

However, this practice was discouraged by the authorities after 12 February 2005, when one of the branches gave way and injured two people. Instead, wooden racks are set up in place for the joss papers to be hung while a period of conservation is imposed to help these trees recover and flourish.

Hong Kong Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree was originally a camphor tree and was the site of a shrine of "Pak Kung." As time went on its leaves and branches withered and it became a hollow tree - the way it now stands. Today, it not only attracts people from all around Hong Kong, but it is also popular with foreign visitors.

Video 1

Itinerary - From Bustle To Tranquility

—0930     Meet at Tai Wo MTR Station 

—0950     Arrive Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree 

—1050      Back to Tai Wo

—1100       Visit HK Railway Museum 

—1145       Visit Man Mo Temple, Tai Po Market and Lunch

—1310      Ride bicycle to Reunion Memorial Tower 

—1330      Visit Reunion Memorial Tower

—1420      Visit Sam Mun Tsai and/ or short hiking 

—1640     Pass Lung Mei mangrove and arrive Tai Mei Tuk

—1700     TMT Family Walk

—1745      Rest at Plover Cove Reservoir Dam and Sunset

—1830     Dinner or back to MTR station